My husband grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan–yep, he’s a Yooper š He loved living where he got to enjoy displays of the Aurora Borealis now and then. Glorious, ever-changing light shows that didn’t cost a dime.
Then for 11 years, we lived in central Minnesota. It was just far enough north that we were treated to the Northern Lights now and then. The displays weren’t as colorful, usually, as what Terry grew up watching, but they were still amazing to watch.
When I lived in Portland, Oregon, we got to see the Lights now and then. Such a treat.
Light is always associated, in my mind, with goodness, health, joy, safety. Partly, that’s because of my faith. Jesus is the Light of the World, and with Him there is no darkness at all (I John 1:5).
I will admit to being afraid of the dark well past my childhood. Even after we were married, if Terry wasn’t home and I had to go into a dark house without him, I would unlock the door, feel for the light switch, and flip it on; I would wait a minute before going in, then make my way to the next light, the next room, until every light in the place was relieving my fears of a nameless, formless boogie man jumping out at me from the dark. Silly? Maybe. I’m much less worried these days, just turning on the light in whatever room I’m using.
Why are we afraid of the dark? I think it’s because the dark is an unknown quantity. We do tend to fear what we don’t understand. Darkness could be hiding all sorts of scary things, from centipedes to furry spiders to–God forbid—a horrible SNAKE just waiting for me to get within striking range.
Sometimes it’s really not a good thing to have an active imagination.
Well, enjoy this season, with longer light hours as we move toward the end of June. Long summer afternoons and evenings, fading slowly into the beauty of a light-filled sunset.
And a blessed Resurrection Sunday to all of you.
Just Writing! 
Happy Easter to you too. The lights looked beautiful. š
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There are tons of online sites on which you can see amazing videos and photos. My Terry spends time there at least once a week š
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I could swear that we could occasionally see the northern lights in South Dakota. I wonder if that is true?
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I don’t know. Bet I can find out š
https://time.com/5665315/northern-lights-this-weekend/
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I did research it after I wrote to you and you can see them from S.Dak. I remember it was not common but a very special thing when we did see them.
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I really enjoy the Northern Lights, too. I am amazed you could see them as far south as MI & MN.
My fear of the dark had nothing to do with snakes. Never been afraid of them, as we have only harmless ones here. My fear of the dark that I lived with for years was a terror, a petrifying fear of someone being there to grab me in the dark. One day after rushing home in panic from a simple walk at 5pm, I finally admitted, “This is NOT a normal fear,” and asked God, “Why do I have this terror?”
I’ve probably written this experience at some time, but He gave me a clear answer at that moment. I recalled a scene and the incident that happened one dark night when I was nine. And He said quite clearly, “That’s why you’re afraid.” Amazingly, that terror left me completely, too, at that moment and I could walk down the sidewalk or enter a house without fear after that. I’ve been careful, but not paralyzed by fear, ever since.
Now when people seem to have an irrational fear or hate or dread, I tell them, “There may be something, even a small incident, from the past locked in your memory that you need to be set free from.” One lady hated white bread. Whhen she took that to God, He gave her the answer: Blocked away in her memory was the scene of being tempted by a slice of bread, when she was a very hungry little girl, into a brother’s room and sexually abused.
He’s a wonderful Counsellor, all-knowing Psychiatrist, and a great Deliverer!
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Christine, a’m always glad to hear of irrational fears being resolved. God is certainly the Great Physician! While I was training in a trauma treatment that I love, God revealed the source of my snake phobia. An incident I’d forgotten about. It was ugly and terrifying, although the snake was harmless. The little boys who instilled the fear in me weren’t so harmless. I’m happy to say that some aspects of my fear have decreased, but I still get the shudders even to see a picture. They’re just evil-looking!
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